The present disclosure relates to a filter element for being removably arranged in a filter housing and comprising a filter material body. The present disclosure also relates to a filter system comprising such a filter element. An internal combustion engine system and a vehicle comprising such a filter system is also disclosed. The disclosure further comprises a method for exchange of a filter element in a filter system comprising the steps of removing a used filter insert from a filter housing and inserting a new filter element into the filter housing. More specifically, the filter element is adapted for cleaning a fluid for the internal combustion engine, wherein the fluid may be a gas such as air or a liquid such as a lubricating oil or fuel. Such filter arrangements may be provided onboard vehicles and in other applications containing transport systems to remove unwanted solids or other contaminants from the fluid. The filter element may alternatively be called filter cartridge, filter module or filter insert.
Filters are used in many places in a vehicle. It is i.a. well known to provide an internal combustion engine with a filter for cleaning a fluid, such as an air filter for cleaning intake air. Other filter types include for example oil filters for filtering an engine oil and fuel filters for cleaning a fuel to be provided to the engine. Such filters in a vehicle are replaced on a regular basis to keep the performance of the filter itself and of the devices receiving the filtered fluid at a desired level. The same is true for the filter types mentioned here, but naturally also for filters used in other applications than vehicles. The filter may be designed in many different shapes and configurations.
In the truck automotive industry, a common solution for air filters is to use a cylindrical housing with a cylindrical air filter. The filter is generally replaced through axial displacement in the housing. The filter often comprises an inner cavity also of cylindrical shape into which the filtered air is penetrating through the filter material. A disadvantage with such filters is that they are voluminous during transportation and storage when not in use in the vehicle. They however provide a relatively seen large filtering surface area, through which the flowing air may be filtered.
These types of cylindrical filters are very common and therefore e.g. replacement filters for maintenance purposes need to conform to the common design.
It is desirable to at least to some extent alleviate the shortcomings discussed above in relation to known filters, and to preferably improve a filter, especially for transport efficiency and handling ease, or at least to provide a useful alternative.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a filter element is disclosed for being removably arranged in a filter housing, the filter element comprising a filter material body and the filter element is adapted to assume a first state, in which it has a substantially flat shape, and a second state, in which it has such a curved shape, that opposite outer peripheral sides of the filter element are directed towards each other and in which it is adapted for a filtering operation. The filter element is further adapted to be locked in the second state when arranged in the filter housing.
A filter element of this kind proves advantageous in that it may replace already existing filter elements, which for example may have a cylindrical design. The filter element according to this disclosure hence combines the design of existing filter elements with the positive effects of the present disclosure. By having a filter element of this kind several advantageous effects are achieved. One effect of having a filter element which is flat in a first state and curved in a second state is that the transport and storage costs will be much reduced due to the fact that the filter element may be adapted for transport and storage in the first substantially flat shape, which in turn results in a transport and storage efficient filter element. For example, a plurality of flat filter elements may be stacked on top of each other in a space-efficient manner. Furthermore, the filter element provides an easy manufacturing process which provides for low manufacturing costs. This is achieved through a simple construction of the filter element, since it remains flat during generally the whole manufacturing process. A filter element of this kind is also, as already mentioned, possible to use in many currently available filtering systems such that the advantageous effects of the new design are utilisable in combination with existing filter housings. The filter element hence becomes available for a wide range of existing applications and not only for new future designs.
According to an embodiment the filter element comprises a locking means for locking the filter element in the second state. This enables the filter element to maintain the curved shape in the second state and to stay in this position, when transferred from the first, flat state to the second, curved state.
According to an embodiment the locking means of the filter element is located on at least one outer peripheral side of the filter element. This provides for a simple locking engagement, since the locking means is easily reachable, and hence also easy to lock in the second state.
According to an embodiment the locking means has an extension along a substantial part of the at least one outer peripheral side of the filter element. This provides for a firm locking along the substantial part of the at least one outer peripheral side.
According to an embodiment the said locking means is located on at least one of said outer peripheral sides which are directed towards each other in the second state. According to an embodiment said locking means is located on both of said outer peripheral sides which are directed towards each other in the second state. This way the one of the outer peripheral side may be locked via said locking means generally directly onto, or in the vicinity of, the other one of said outer peripheral sides such that the filter element may form a generally tubular shape.
According to an alternative or a complement to the last-mentioned embodiment, said locking means is provided on the opposite peripheral sides having a curved shape. The filter element may then be locked in the second, curved shape by engaging a correspondingly shaped structure provided on an inner side wall of the filter housing and/or on an inner wall of a filter housing lid.
According to an embodiment the locking means is located continuously along at least a part of the at least one outer peripheral side, preferably continuously along generally a complete extension of the at least one outer peripheral side. In addition to firm locking, it enables a sealing engagement of the filter element along at least the part of the at least one outer peripheral side, if so wished for. Sealing may for some applications be desirable in order to force the fluid to be filtered to flow the proper way through the filter and not sneak alongside without proper filtration. This enablement has been unexpected and proven very useful, since proper sealing may be difficult to achieve.
According to an embodiment the locking means is formed by a one-piece body. This provides for easy manufacturing and low manufacturing costs.
According to an embodiment the locking means is wedge-shaped. This provides for locking the filter element in both a radial and a tangential direction when curved in the second state. It is also a simple manner to provide for a locking operation.
According to an embodiment the locking means in cross-section has an adjacent section and a distant section as seen in relation to said filter material body, wherein said adjacent section is shorter than said distant section as seen in a transversal direction to a plane of said filter element. This provides for locking the filter element when arranged in the second state. According to an embodiment said adjacent section and said distended section are joined through a locking surface adapted for engaging a complimentary shaped surface for achieving a locking function. According to an embodiment the, wherein said locking surface has a slanting portion as seen in relation to said plane of said filter element.
According to an embodiment said locking means has a cross-section, which is constant along an extension direction of said at least one outer peripheral side. Such a cross-section enables the locking means to be translated axially in relation to a complimentary shaped anchoring device for maintaining the second state. Such a relative axial translation is an easy means for simultaneously achieving locking operation, a possible sealing operation and assembly and removal from a filter housing or such.
According to an embodiment said locking means is made of a compressible material. The material may provide a sealing effect along the outer peripheries of the filter element when arranged in e.g. a filter housing. The material is also slightly adjustable to a shape of a complimentary shaped anchoring device for maintaining the second state. A slight compressive force on the compressible material of the locking means may enable a stronger locking operation and better sealing operation if needed. According to an embodiment said compressible material is made of rubber, foam rubber or of polyurethane.
According to an embodiment said filter element comprises a sealing means adapted for sealing against a complimentary surface. According to an embodiment said sealing means extends along said at least one outer peripheral side of said filter element. According to an embodiment said sealing means extends along a complete periphery of the filter element.
According to an embodiment said locking means and said sealing means are formed by the same member. When incorporating both a locking operation and a sealing operation into the same member it provides for a filter element with a cost effective design. As has already been indicated above this combined effect of locking and sealing was not expected, but has proven very useful.
According to an embodiment at least one of said outer peripheral sides which are directed towards each other in the second state is straight in the second state. This is achieved through the bending of the filter element into the second state B around an axis which is parallel to the axial direction of the final shape of the filter element 5 in the second state B. The outer peripheral side in question remains flat since it also is parallel to said axis. This simplifies the design and manufacture of i.a. the locking means, since they remain flat also in the second state. When remaining flat or straight, in contrast to being curved in the second state, both the locking operation and any sealing operation is made simple and the design and material may be accordingly chosen. According to an embodiment both of said outer peripheral sides which are directed towards each other in the second state are straight in the second state.
According to an embodiment said filter material body is made of a material chosen from the group of: paper and cellulose. These materials are common materials and enables low manufacturing costs.
According to an embodiment said filter element has a generally rectangular shape in said first state. According to an embodiment said filter element in said second state has a generally tubular shape. The generally tubular shape may preferably be chosen from the group of circular, elliptic and oval, which all are common shapes for existing filter element. Hence the present filter element may be used in combination with existing filter systems.
According to an embodiment said generally tubular shape is substantially continuous in a circumferential direction. It therefore becomes easy to arrange inside a filter housing.
According to an embodiment said filter element in said second state has the shape of an arc of between 300 and 360 degrees. The more of a complete circle the filter element is covering in the second state, the larger the surface towards the fluid to be filtered becomes.
According to an embodiment the filter element in said second state has such a curved shape so that there is a distance in the circumferential direction between said opposite outer peripheral sides of said filter element, which are directed towards each other. This distance may be adapted such that an anchoring device may be arranged there between in order to maintain the filter element in the second state.
According to an embodiment the filter element comprises an inner portion for maintaining said curved shape when locked in said second state. This prevents the filter element to lose the shape in the second state, when fluid flows there through, it thus supports the shape of the filter element.
According to an embodiment the inner portion is tubular. The shape corresponds to the tubular shape of the filter element.
According to an embodiment the inner portion is fluid permeable in order to enable fluid to flow there through.
According to an embodiment the filter element is adapted for transportation in said a first state, in which it has a substantially flat shape, and for being curved to said second state in association with a filter element exchange operation. This provides for a costs effective transportation and low storage costs.
According to an embodiment the filter element is an air filter element. According to an embodiment the filter element is adapted for cleaning intake air of an internal combustion engine.
According to an embodiment the filter element is adapted to be closely aligned with a curved inner surface of the filter housing. This provides for a proper utilisation of filtering ability for the filter element, since the fluid to be filtered is thereby spread generally equally over the filter element.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure a filter system is disclosed, comprising a filter element and an anchoring device adapted to be arranged between the opposite outer peripheral sides of the filter element when it is curved to the second state. This enables the locking means to lock to the anchoring device, and consequently to keep the filter element in a curved shape, in the second state. Further advantages are already disclosed in connection with the filter element above.
According to an embodiment the anchoring device has a locking means which is adapted to engage with the locking means of the filter element for locking the filter element in the second state. This provides for a secure arrangement of the filter element in the second state and for a secure locking mechanism.
According to an embodiment the locking means of the anchoring device and the filter element are formed with a complimentary shaped male-female configuration. This makes them easy to assemble.
According to an embodiment the locking means of the anchoring device is adapted to receive the locking means of said filter element through an axial relative displacement for locking the filter element in the second state. This enables an easy arrangement of the filter element to the anchoring device, and makes it easy to replace a used filter element with a new one.
According to an embodiment the locking means of the anchoring device in cross-section comprises a distant section and an adjacent section as seen in relation to a centre axis of the anchoring device, wherein, in a locked state, the distant section of said locking means of the anchoring device faces the adjacent section of said locking means. This enables a corresponding engagement between the anchoring device and the filter element. The centre axis of the anchoring device may be perpendicular to a longitudinal extension direction of the anchoring device and directed radially with regard to the tubular filter element. Further, the anchoring device may have a symmetrical cross sectional shape, wherein the centre axis may form a plane of symmetry.
According to an embodiment the distant section of the locking means of the anchoring device is shorter than said adjacent section of the locking means of the anchoring device, which enables a secure locking operation in at least the direction away from the anchoring device. According to one example, the distant section of the locking means of the anchoring device is shorter than said adjacent section of the locking means of the anchoring device in the direction of the centre axis of the anchoring device.
According to an embodiment the adjacent section and the distant section are joined through a locking surface. According to an embodiment the locking surface has a slanting portion. According to an embodiment the locking means of said anchoring device in cross-section is wedge shaped. These embodiments correspond to complimentary shaped features on the filter element and hence a proper cooperation there between is achieved.
According to an embodiment the anchoring device is axially symmetrical, which enables easy manufacturing thereof.
According to an embodiment the anchoring device extends along the locking means in the second state. This enables a locking engagement and a possible sealing operation along the filter element. According to an embodiment the locking means of the anchoring device is located continuously along at least a part of the locking means of the filter element, preferably continuously along generally a complete extension of the at least one outer peripheral side of the locking means.
According to an embodiment the locking means of said anchoring device has a cross-section, which is constant along its extension direction, in order to correspond to the locking means of the filter element.
According to an embodiment the filter system has a filter housing with a compartment adapted to receive said filter element.
According to an embodiment the anchoring device is fixedly arranged to said filter housing or in a one-piece unit with the filter housing, so that the anchoring device protrudes inwardly in said compartment. In this way it will become easy to arrange the filter element in the filter housing.
According to an embodiment the air filter housing comprises an inner portion located generally coaxially with a housing wall and within the filter housing compartment, and extending generally along the anchoring mechanism for maintaining the curved shape of the filter element when locked in the second state. As mentioned before it enables the filter element to keep a predetermined shape within the filter housing in use of the filter system.
According to an embodiment the inner portion is fluid permeable.
According to an embodiment the inner portion is tubular.
According to an embodiment the inner portion is detachably arranged to the filter housing, preferably detachably arranged to the anchoring device. This enables easy arrangement of the filter element in combination with the inner portion inside the filter housing.
According to an embodiment the inner portion is fixedly arranged to the filter housing, preferably fixedly arranged to the anchoring device. Thereby the inner portion is not lost during i.a. a filter element replacement operation.
According to an embodiment the filter housing has a tubular shape which is preferable in order to correspond to the filter element in the second state such that a fluid to be filtered is generally evenly spread between the filter housing and the filter element to fully utilize the filtering operation of the filter element.
According to an embodiment the filter housing has a filter element access opening in an axial direction of the tubular shape.
According to an embodiment in connected state of the filter system the filter element and the anchoring device together form a generally closed cross-section, whereby they together may be used to replace an existing tubular filter element.
According to an embodiment the filter system is an air filter system. According to an embodiment the filter system is adapted for cleaning intake air of an internal combustion engine.
According to a third aspect a filter element is disclosed for being removably arranged in a filter housing, said filter element comprising a filter material body, wherein said filter element has a generally tubular shape and that the filter element is discontinuous in a circumferential direction of the filter element so that there is a distance in the circumferential direction of the filter element between opposite outer peripheral sides of said filter element, which are directed towards each other. This way the filter element is arranged to perform a filtering operation when it is located within the filter housing.
According to an embodiment said filter element comprises a sealing means adapted for sealing against a complimentary surface.
According to an embodiment said sealing means extends along said at least one outer peripheral side of said filter element.
According to an embodiment said sealing means is positioned on opposite outer peripheral sides of said filter element, which are directed towards each other and wherein said sealing means is wedge-shaped for achieving a locking function relative to said complimentary surface.
According to an embodiment said sealing means is made of a compressible material.
According to an embodiment said compressible material is made of a material chosen from the group of: rubber, foam rubber and polyurethane.
According to an embodiment said filter element has the shape of an arc of between 300 and 360 degrees.
According to an embodiment said filter material body is made of a material chosen from the group of: paper and cellulose.
According to a fourth aspect a filter system is disclosed which comprises a filter element, wherein the filter system comprises an anchoring device adapted to be positioned in the space between said opposite outer peripheral sides of said filter element, which are directed towards each other, and sealingly engaged to said opposite outer peripheral sides. Thereby a generally fully closed cross-section is achieved such that a known filter element may be replaced by a filter system according to this embodiment. The anchoring device is adapted to keep the filter element in the tubular shape and to thereby maintain a proper distance to the filter housing when installed therein.
According to a fifth aspect an internal combustion engine is disclosed which comprises a filter system of the kind discussed above.
According to a sixth aspect a vehicle is disclosed which comprises an internal combustion engine of the kind discussed above.
According to a seventh aspect method is disclosed for exchange of a filter element in a filter system comprising the steps of removing a used filter insert from a filter housing, inserting a new filter element into the filter housing, which new filter element is discontinuous in a circumferential direction of the filter element, and engaging an anchoring device in a space between opposite outer peripheral sides of said filter element.
According to an embodiment the step of bending the new filter element from a first state, in which it has a substantially flat shape, to a second state, in which it has such a curved shape that said opposite outer peripheral sides of said filter element are directed towards each other, and locking said filter element in said second
Further advantages and features of the present disclosure are disclosed and discussed in the following description and the accompanying drawings.